3. Biodata:The money market in Kabul reopened following the release of the moneychangers’ union head Najibullah Akhtari by the Attorney General Office (AGO) on 2013114. Currency dealer and the union’s secretary Haji Hashim confirmed moneychangers called off their strike around 1pm and reopened the market.

Meanwhile, Akhtari said Haji Roohullah and Mohammad Ismail Noorzai, who run a joint business, had referred their dispute to him for resolution through a jirga. He quoted Roohullah as saying Noorzai owed him millions of dollars -- a claim rejected by Noorzai. Attended by Wolesi Jirga member Haji Sher Ali and some moneychangers, the jirga won an assurance from Noorzai to return the loan.

Akhtari said he did not give any guarantee the money would be returned, suggesting both sides should accept the jirga’s decision.

Background: Seeking to fill a vacuum, Najeebullah Akhtari established Hewad Najeeb Dairy Processing to be the first dairy processing plant to manufacture products such as cheese, yogurt, and butter in post-Taliban Afghanistan. Without any local competition, Hewad Najeeb Dairy is exceptionally well positioned to develop relationships with the dairy farmers of 200 pre-identified farms/villages in northern Afghanistan. Having collected milk from these regions, it would be transported to Kabul, where it would be processed at the facility to be located there, this allowing for the most direct access to Afghanistan’s most populated city and to transit routes beyond. Hewad Najeeb views its future Kabul facility as a first in what will become a nationwide presence, with processing facilities close to other major population centers in Afghanistan. Total costs for this first phase in Kabul are estimated at $2 million USD.